Childress expects Shiancoe to be better next season

The Vikings said they believed they had found the ideal tight end for their offense last March when they surprised many by signing free agent Visanthe Shiancoe to an $18.2 million, five-year contract that included $7 million in guarantees.

With one game left in the regular season, the results have been mixed.

Shiancoe, who had been used primarily as a blocking tight end playing behind Jeremy Shockey during his first four NFL seasons with the New York Giants, has 27 catches for 323 yards and one touchdown, tying wide receiver Robert Ferguson for third on the team in receptions.

But Shiancoe also lost a fumble in the second quarter of the Vikings' 32-21 loss to Washington on Sunday -- it did not result in any points -- and has failed to hang on to three potential touchdown catches this season. Shiancoe's use in the passing game, or lack of it, also was a topic earlier in the year.

Coach Brad Childress said he feels part of Shiancoe's ups-and-downs has been the adjustment process he has had to make.

"I think he is just continuing to get more comfortable in what we are doing," Childress said. "It's just the system is so different than what he did and what he is ingrained in and what he came from. He shows flashes of doing exactly what you want him to do. I think that he will be much better served as we head into next year."

Childress, though, admits he would like to see Shiancoe play a bigger role.

"Would I like more production out of our tight end?" he said. "Yeah, I would like more production out of our tight end, but he has been able to help stretch some zones and move people down the field and it would be good for us to be able to find him a little bit more."

Childress points to tight end Jim Kleinsasser as a player who has grown more comfortable in the Vikings' version of the West Coast system. Kleinsasser, in fact, caught his first touchdown pass since the 2003 season in the third quarter Sunday.

Kleinsasser nine-year veteran has only four receptions this season -- he has caught 11 passes in two years under Childress after having 22 catches in Mike Tice's final season as head coach in 2005 -- because the nine-year-veteran primarily is used primarily in a blocking role. However, he has doubled his reception total in the past two games.

Asked about Kleinsasser's increased role in the passing game, Childress said: "We actually didn't tether him to 5 or 6 yards from the line of scrimmage catching the ball. He is a little faster than you think he is running up the field, and it was good to see him get that opportunity. He has really turned into a great, great team player.

''We know about his blocking prowess at the end of the line of scrimmage, but I value him on this football team and being a part of this, and he has been integral in terms of how we've run the football this year."

Defending McCauley

Rookie cornerback Marcus McCauley appeared to have a rough night Sunday playing in place of veteran Antoine Winfield (strained pectoral muscle).

McCauley, making his eighth start of the season, was beaten by a leaping Santana Moss on a 32-yard touchdown reception and appeared to be at fault for playing the run on what turned into a 15-yard touchdown pass from running back Clinton Portis to Antwaan Randle El. Childress pointed out the second touchdown came on two-deep coverage and that safety Dwight Smith should have picked up Randle El.

"I thought [McCauley] just could have been a little bit more aggressive to the ball," Childress said of the Moss TD. "He had a shorter guy go up and get the football over the top of him and that is going to be a growing pain. Did he have it covered? Yeah, he had it covered very well."

Childress also praised McCauley for being "markedly improved" in the art of rerouting wide receivers off the line of scrimmage, a key for cornerbacks in the Vikings defense.

Etc.

• Players will begin preparations today for Sunday's game at Denver after being off Monday and Tuesday.